Manuela Stefan Toronto Wedding Photographer | Manuela Stefan Toronto Baby Photographer » Engagements

Engagement photo journals: playing around Union Station

Manuela Stefan — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:10:27 +0000

Kathryn & Duncan are getting married this weekend, I can’t believe how fast time goes by. They wanted to get an urban feel for their engagement photos, so I figured Union Station may be a great starting point for something like this. I thought of how beautifully the light falls in between the tall columns, while also keeping the nearby buildings in mind. But again, I was surprised with the little finds along the way. As we were moving around I noticed mirrors and shiny marble surfaces that sparked the imagination and playfulness. Guys, thank you for being so great, spontaneous and relaxed, I am sure your wedding day will simply be fantastic and fun filled! See you in a bit! Hug, Manuela

Engagement photo journals: FUN, FUN, FUN!

Manuela Stefan — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:43:45 +0000

I met Liz while shooting a lovely wedding a couple of years ago. She was one of the bridesmaids. I was very pleased when she contacted me asking if I would photograph her own event. I did not know exactly what to expect when she mentioned they would like to have their engagement photos taken in their own backyard. When I arrived I was blown away with the abundance of inspiring corners. We literally played around for a couple of hours. Their interaction was so dynamic, cheerful and lovely that it made it so very easy for me to capture all the images below. I think it is pretty obvious how everything went that day! I very much look forward to celebrating more with you guys! Hug, M

Engagement photo journals: the textures at Churchill Park

Manuela Stefan — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:31:48 +0000

I live in the Annex. One of the reasons why I love my neighborhood is that it offers such a great variety of cool spots and different looks. Old beautiful churches, stone walls, lovely parks. One of my favorite ‘playgrounds’ is Churchill Park. Because it has everything: little hills, trees, colourful walls, even graffiti. I do not think I could have thought of a better place for lovely Andrea & Matt’s engagement photos. These two really fit in. The softness of the greens and yellows, the interesting structures went very well with their calm and nonchalance. I had fun watching them being themselves and I hope they enjoyed the experience as much. Looking at the images we got I like to believe this was the case.

I truly look forward to their nuptials, they are simply a joy to spend time with. Hug, M

Engagement photo journals: old stones and trees

Manuela Stefan — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:57:28 +0000

Melissa and Mark are getting married this October at the quaint King Edward hotel. They love downtown Toronto, so do I. I am always super excited whenever I get to shoot around my favorite part of town. I am a downtown girl and I simply love it! We had so much fun with our engagement session. Melissa recommended the area around Ryerson as she has studied there and loved the look of some of the old stones. Such a nice flavor to add to our images! This, combined with some of the spring colours, made for a wonderful decor for Melissa and Mark’s sweet and romantic side to come out.

Looking forward to the wedding day! M

More fun at Toronto Harbourfront!

Manuela Stefan — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:29:30 +0000

It is interesting how ‘explorable’ some places are. No matter how many times they get to be visited, there are still little surprises hiding around corners…this is the case with the Toronto Harbourfront. Mostly very busy, on the day of the shoot the usual crowds were somehow missing, maybe due to the rain threat. Lucky us, as the light was absolutely incredible. My very sweet ‘models’, Giselle and Anthony, were so good! Not only I diverted them from our original plan, but I got them to step on moving platforms, jump into docked boats, walk up and down little hills. I know they were tired at the end, but content with the adventure I am sure, as the colours were truly fantastic. Some of the photos even look like they could have been taken on the East Coast… Well, I guess sometimes mind travel is better than no travel at all

I look forward to your wedding this summer, dear Giselle and Anthony! Enjoy the warm weather until then and prepare yourselves for some fun! Yours truly.

Engagement photo journals: spring colours in High Park

Manuela Stefan — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:24:38 +0000

High Park is not quite off the beaten path and is always a busy spot. Yet, when spring hits, I can’t think of a better location which is rich and colourful and constantly inspiring. Sadly, we missed the Japanese cherry blossoms which are always a delight to experience and would have worked so well with beautiful Kiyomi’s half Japanese descent. But we were still fortunate enough to find a lot of flowers around which made for a soft, dreamy like backdrop. Kiyomi and Jaish will get married this summer at Atlantis by the lake. Their wedding images will be quite different, so altogether the 2 collections will provide the couple with some amazing visual memories of such an exciting and important year of their lives.

Looking forward to your day! Hug, M

Engagement photo journals: fun at the Harbourfront

Manuela Stefan — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:42:48 +0000

Laura and Greg will get married this summer. One warmer day at the beginning of April, we went down to the Harbourfront for their engagement photo shoot. As much as I love the sun, it was casting some harsh shadows on their faces that day and I felt bad to see how hard they were trying not to squint. Regardless, we ended up with a happy collection of photographs depicting who they are and how they feel for each other. I loved shooting there as the place truly felt like our own playground, generously offering inspiring elements as backdrops.

Thank you Laura and Greg for being such sports, I look forward to spending more fun time in August!

Engagement photo journals: shapes, curves, structures

Manuela Stefan — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:39:42 +0000

Jen and Ben are two lovely people with an interesting life story. After a few years spent in Liverpool, they are now looking to settling down in Canada. Their wedding will be held in August at the quaint Hernder Estates Winery, Niagara. We got to spend a couple of hours on a borderline rainy day and we had a lot of fun in spite of the random drops falling from the grey sky. From my perspective it was heaven because as we all know, such days offer the most incredible even light. Taking wrong exits and sometimes going in circles, we accidentally discovered magic spots that made for interesting backdrops. It so happens whenever we allow it. Relaxed, fun, spontaneous and truly loving, this is who they are and I hope I captured their character the closest possible.

Dear Jen and Ben, thank you for a great time and I very much look forward to more this summer!

Ella and Jerry’s winter engagement photos are cool! :)

Manuela Stefan — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:56:40 +0000

Winter can be tricky for photo shoots, especially when one wants to spend time outside and play. Not the case for the Sunday Ella and Jerry picked for their engagement photo session: mild temperature, perfect light, not to mention such cool models! What else could I ask for? We spent about 2 hours walking around the Casa Loma area which is super rich in terms of nice corners and interesting backgrounds. It was fun, in a nutshell!

Ella & Jerry, I very much look forward to your wedding this spring, I promise we will spend a day filled with playfulness and creativity!

An engagement shoot with a vibrant fall decor

Manuela Stefan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:16:39 +0000

Blanca & Ryan will get married in May of next year. Again we chose fall with its colourful palette and the beautiful, gentle light. They are such a fun couple to be around and photograph: they make each other laugh non stop, they are playful, nonchalant, my camera just loved them! The day was simply magic, all elements in place, I could not have asked for a better decor and a greater variety of shooting spots. All in all, the vibrant collection of images we got will make for an amazing guest signing book at their wedding, which I very much look forward to shoot. It will take place in Jordan Niagara at the Inn on the Twenty, one of my favorite locations. I can’t wait!